


pax

by spacepilotprince



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Everything is beautiful and good, M/M, They keep the baby, they find a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 05:04:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11525130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacepilotprince/pseuds/spacepilotprince
Summary: so i had a dream about having a baby ???? and then this kind of just. happened.there might be more of this someday but no promises. as the spirit moves me yknow.





	pax

**Author's Note:**

> so i had a dream about having a baby ???? and then this kind of just. happened.  
> there might be more of this someday but no promises. as the spirit moves me yknow.

"Red Squadron, take out the last of those TIEs!" Poe shouts over his comm. "Blue Squadron, with me! We're going low. Take out any 'troopers who are armed, so long as you've got a clean shot."

"Copy that, Black Leader," Jess chimes in.

The four X-Wings swoop in low and tight. Poe's eyes scan sharply over the sparse forest surrounding the decimated village. He hones in on some movement, but notices the olive drab of their Pathfinder corps.

"Anyone got eyes on white plastoid armor?" Poe asks tersely.

"Negative," Snap answers. "Guess the Pathfinders did their job, eh?"

"Or there's an ambush coming," Poe says uneasily.

"Commander, I've got one!" Jess shouts. "Two o'clock, out of the edge of the forest!"

"I see 'em," Poe confirms. "Three 'troopers now. Snap, Yolo, take 'em out. Jess, with me, circle back to look for any other squads."

"Yes, sir," Yolo says shortly. He and Snap split off to take out the stormtroopers.

"Status update, Red Squadron," Poe requests.

"Got 'em all, Black Leader," Bastian answers.

"Good. Stay sharp, make sure there's no one else comin' in on our tail." Poe scans the forest again, now seeing a knot of Pathfinders make their way out of the forest to comb through the wreckage for any survivors. Poe finally allows himself to flip the comm switch to the ground team's frequency. "Aurek Team, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear, Black Leader," Finn's voice crackles over the comm. Poe can't even begin to describe how good it feels to hear his voice.

"How's the situation?"

"The short answer is: grim. The village is destroyed. No survivors found so far, but Besh Team is combing the surrounding forest, and Cresh and Aurek are sweeping the village."

"Any more 'troopers?" Poe asks, still scanning the area carefully, Jess's X-Wing following his every move in sync.

"I think it's safe to assume they've all been dealt with," Finn answers shortly. Poe nods.

"Copy that, Aurek Leader. Let's wrap it up. I'll see you back on base. Black Leader out." Poe switches his comm back. "Pathfinders are just cleaning up now. First Order threat has been neutralized. All wings, continue patrol. Make sure they don't send another wave."

A chorus of affirmative responses rains in, and Poe swoops back up out of atmo, Blue Squadron hot on his tail, to await the all-clear from the Pathfinder shuttle.

===

Finn adjusts his grip on his blaster, peering carefully around each dwelling as he makes his way through the final outskirts of the village. His team hasn't found a single survivor, and neither have either of the other two teams. The only living humans had been stormtroopers, who had opened fire and were subsequently taken down.

Finn passes countless numbers of deceased civilians, distraught at the circumstances. He's still not sure exactly why this had to happen. All he knows is that the Resistance had received a ping on one of their long-range scanners of a Star Destroyer class ship in the vicinity of this planet, and the General had deemed it worth a look. When the X-Wings had arrived, the Star Destroyer had retreated and left a cloud of TIE fighters in its wake which had begun to raze the surface of the planet below. Poe had called in the Pathfinders, who had quickly assembled and shuttled over to provide ground support.

Why did this have to happen? What was the goal here? Just to terrorize? Finn's mind swirls with questions as he picks his way through the small, open homes, checking for any survivors. It's obvious the stormtroopers had come through some of them before they were struck down. Finn can't seem to find any rhyme or reason to the attack. He doesn't know anything about this planet or its people, other than the fact that there are various species represented among the deceased, including a majority of humans.

"Aurek Leader!" comes a shout from behind him, and Finn turns to see Verina, leader of Besh Team, standing with her crew amidst the wreckage. "Surrounding forest is clear, sir."

"Thank you, Besh Leader. Check in with Cresh Team and regroup to the shuttle. Aurek is almost done with our sweep."

"Copy that, Aurek Leader." Verina leads her team back towards where Cresh is wrapping up their sweep of the far end of the village.

Finn turns to his nearest teammate, Maurice, and points towards the leftmost of the last two homes. "Check that one. Seems like this is as far as the 'troopers had gotten," Finn says, nudging the thigh of one of the two stormtroopers they had shot down mid-attack. "There might be survivors."

"Yes, sir," Maurice says with a nod and ducks into the shelter, blaster at the ready. Finn heads into the last one, towards his right.

The inside of the structure is dim away from the light that comes in through the open windows. There's a strange noise coming from a closed door in the back that puts something in Finn on high alert. He readies his blaster and steps carefully over the clean floor of the home, his boots making next to no noise on the wooden floorboards. He puts his hand slowly on the doorknob, ears trained sharply to the sharp, squalling noise. He turns the knob carefully and then shoves the door open, quickly assuming a defensive stance and training his blaster on all corners of the room. It's empty, save for whatever is making that noise.

Finn crosses carefully to some sort of container in the back of the room. It's small, maybe a meter long, woven out of some local natural material, he'd guess. Blaster still cautiously at the ready, he peers into the container to find—

An infant.

Finn lowers his blaster instantly, tucking it back into his hip holster as he looks around him again, more urgent this time. The room is indeed empty, no parental figure to be found. He looks back down into the basket-like structure, down at the crying infant.

It's human, or humanoid, with skin a shade somewhere between his and Poe's. It's— Well, he figures it's a bit rude to keep referring to the baby as 'it' but he can't begin to guess at a gender. The baby is clothed in a soft-looking suit and covered with a blanket that looks handmade. It hasn't stopped screaming yet and Finn is about to panic.

Where are this baby's parents? Are they among the casualties outside? He's suddenly overcome with a wave of relief that his squad had gotten to those 'troopers when they had, else this baby would've been discovered and either killed or... kidnapped, just as Finn had been.

Finn suddenly feels a kinship with this small, helpless creature, and he reaches carefully into the basket to lift it up. The baby's head wobbles on its neck, so he's careful to support it, bringing the tiny being up to cradle against his chest and wrapping the blanket warmly around it.

"Shhh," Finn soothes, unsure of how to handle this situation. "It's okay, I've got you, you're gonna be okay," he babbles. It doesn't help much, and the baby keeps wailing.

Finn turns and surveys the room. What does he do now? He doesn't know anything about caring for an infant... But one thing he knows for certain is if he leaves it here, it will die. Finn holds the baby securely as he starts to make his way back out of the house. Maybe Cresh Team will have found an adult survivor who can care for this infant.

"It's okay, shhhhh," Finn tries again, rubbing the baby's back as he steps out into the bright sunlight. His eyes fall on the nearest fallen civilian, and his heart sinks.

She's a pretty young human woman, with dark skin and her hair done up in braids. Finn feels a flash of rage in his chest. The First Order did this. The First Order has been doing this for years. They did this to  _ him _ , to Finn, and looking down at this woman, he could almost believe she's his own mother. His heart pangs. Was this what happened to his mother? Had she met her end in just the same way, trying to get to him in her last moments, to protect him?

Finn holds the baby close to his heart, pulling the blanket up over its eyes, sheltering it as he walks past the carnage. It keeps screaming, squirming and hiccuping against him, and he tries his best to rub its back and shush it, but nothing seems to be working.

"Aurek Leader, all clear!" Maurice calls from down the street, gathered together with the rest of Aurek Team. "...What did you find?" he asks anxiously.

Finn takes a deep breath as he walks over to join them. "An infant. Parents are dead. Were any survivors found?"

Maurice hesitates. "...One, sir."

"Where?" Finn demands.

Maurice nods to his arms. "You're holding it."

Finn looks down at the infant, his heart breaking. They have no choice. They have to take it, or it won't survive. He knows that much about human infants. They're weak little things with no self-preservation abilities of their own, fragile and demanding and helpless... Finn looks back up at his crew.

"Alright. Back to the shuttle, and let's get out of here."

They start off through the forest to the nearby shuttle, and the infant still hasn't stopped wailing. It makes Finn's heart hurt to hear it, and he just wants to calm the poor thing. After a few more failed minutes of rubbing and shushing, he sighs.

"Does anyone know how we can get it to stop crying?" Finn asks, not unkindly.

Verina looks over. "Talk to it. Babies like when you talk to them. And move with it, like bouncing or rocking. They like the motion. It calms them."

Finn looks down at the tiny infant and resettles it in his arms. He bounces it gently as he walks, supporting its neck, trying to come up with something to say.

"I don't know what to talk about," Finn admits.

"Anything will work," Verina says with a shrug. "Just the sound of a voice is soothing."

So Finn starts to talk. He talks the baby through disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling three different types of blaster weapons. Halfway through the second weapon, the baby finally settles down, and by the time he finishes the last one, it's asleep against his chest.

===

"There's the ground team shuttle," Poe reports over his comm. "All wings, report back to base for debrief." A chorus of affirmative calls comes back at him, and he switches to the other frequency. "Ground team shuttle, do you copy?"

"Go ahead, Black Leader," the pilot answers.

"Status report?"

"All teams intact. One injury sustained. One civilian survivor recovered."

"Copy that," Poe says shortly, disappointed at the outcome. "No further First Order activity detected in orbit. Reporting back to base."

"Copy, Black Leader. See you planetside."

===

Poe touches down and hops out of his shuttle, pulling his helmet off and handing it to a tech. He runs a hand through his hair as BB-8 disengages from her astromech socket and trundles over.

[Are you leaving?] Beebee beeps inquisitively.

Poe crouches down to put a hand on her head. "I've gotta get to debrief. You coming?"

[Maybe I will stay and wait for Finn...] she wibbles.

Poe sighs. "Yeah, I mean, you can wait for him if you like, but I'm sure Finn is fine. He didn't mention anything to me on the comm..."

Beebee fixes a stare on him. [He has withheld injuries in the past,] she reminds him.

Poe pushes a hand through his hair. "Don't remind me," he says firmly and stands up. "And either way, the medics will take care of him." He gazes down at Beebee patiently. "...Why don't you come with me?" he offers. After a moment, she reluctantly agrees, and they start off towards the briefing room.

===

"So to summarize, what we know is: The Star Destroyer left upon deploying the TIE fighters, of which there was a count of thirty, and that there were ten foot soldier stormtroopers on the surface, most likely to clean up after the TIEs. Your squadrons neutralized the TIEs, and the Pathfinders the stormtroopers, but not before a significant amount of damage was done on the planet's surface. Is this correct?" the General asks.

"Yes, sir," Poe answers wearily.

"And there's no speculation yet as to the motivation for this attack?"

"None founded, but..." Poe hesitates. "It's possible it could've been a test."

"For what?"

"To see if we'd come running." Poe pauses. "They didn't lay an ambush this time, though I kept suspecting it and I'm certain the Pathfinder teams did as well. Who's to say they won't shoot up an innocent community again in the future, because they know we'll come running, and then bring out the big guns?"

The General hums in interest. "That's an interesting point. But why not simply run that tactic today?"

Poe shrugs. "Keep us on our toes? Or else, they just wanted to cause some mischief."

"Yes, that seems the most likely reason," the General sighs. "Well, we'll keep Intelligence on it and see what we can dig up. You're dismissed for today. Get some rest."

Poe rises, but hesitates. "Sir?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Have you heard any word on the Pathfinder shuttle?"

The General smiles. "They landed about fifteen minutes after your squadrons, safe and sound."

"Thank you." Poe snaps a salute and exits, Beebee on his heels.

Out in the hallway, the usual bustle of activity is going on, and it isn't long before Poe spots Maurice, a man he recognizes from Finn's team. He waves him down with a shout, and Maurice stops, a crate in his arms.

"Sorry to interrupt," Poe says, and Maurice shakes his head.

"No trouble. Just on my way to drop this at the hangar. What did you need?"

"Do you know where Finn is?" Poe asks.

A strange sort of look crosses Maurice's face, half smile and half apology. "He's, uh... He's in the medbay."

Poe blinks. The medbay? But Finn hadn't mentioned any injury... He forces a smile at Maurice. "Thanks, uh... I'm gonna..."

Maurice nods. "Yeah, no problem."

Poe takes off towards the medbay with Beebee hot on his heels. His mind races with what might've happened down there. Blaster shot? Shrapnel from a TIE blast? Broken bone? Head wound?

Poe reels around the corner and stops dead in the medbay door.

[Finn did not sound injured earlier,] Beebee tries to soothe, and Poe nods with a sigh. He steps into the quiet room, full of all the beeping and wheezing machines that he hates to be stuck in here with so much... He catches the eye of a nearby aide.

"Hi, uh—"

"You're looking for Finn," the aide guesses with a smile. Poe swallows and nods. "He's in the back corner, behind the partition. Doctor Kalonia is with him."

"Thanks," Poe mumbles and steps over towards the drawn curtain. The aide had smiled, so it can't be too bad... He reaches for the curtain and hears Kalonia speaking softly.

"It might take awhile for him to adjust to life here," she says quietly. "But he's healthy. He was just hungry."

He? He who? Confused, Poe carefully pulls the curtain back. "Knock knock," he murmurs, and Kalonia looks up at him with a smile.

"Commander," she says warmly. "We were wondering when you'd show up."

Finn is sitting on the bed with his legs hanging off, his back to Poe, and he smiles over his shoulder. "Hey, Poe..."

"Hi, honey... You hurt?" he asks quietly, wrapping a warm hand over Finn's shoulder.

"Not a scratch." Finn grins.

"Good," Poe sighs in relief. "I was worried. Your pilot said over the radio that there was one injury, one survivor..."

"Injury is Cass, he just has a twisted ankle. And the survivor..." Finn licks his lips and nods at his lap.

Poe comes around the foot of the bed and looks down in shock. A small infant is cradled in the crook of Finn's arm, tiny hands on the bottle Finn is holding, drinking hungrily. Poe looks up at Finn with wide eyes.

"I... Just this little guy?" Poe asks, heartbroken. Finn nods, gazing down at the baby.

"He was all alone. I identified who I assume to be the mother outside the home. She was shot by a stormtrooper." Finn pauses. "I couldn't just leave him there," he says quietly. "He would've died."

"You did the right thing," Kalonia assures him. "We should speak to the General about finding him a home. I know she has foster and adoption contacts for civilian children recovered during rescue missions."

Finn hesitates, but nods. "Tomorrow, maybe? He's had a long day..."

"I'm going to recommend today," Kalonia insists. "The sooner he can be placed with a family, the sooner he can get back to a normal life."

Finn looks down at the baby and nods again, chewing on his lip. "...I understand."

"He can rest here in the medbay while you speak with the General."

"When he's done eating," Finn murmurs, watching the infant's eyelids start to grow heavier on a full stomach.

Poe reaches over and rubs his fingertips against the baby's belly, tickling and making him kick sleepily. He smiles softly, endeared by the little one. It's been so long since he's had a baby around, probably since he was a teenager having family reunions at his dad's place and seeing all his cousins and their kids. He's forgotten how nice it is to have a new life around, someone who isn't hardened by wartime, someone who is getting to experience wondering at the world for the first time.

"He's finished the bottle," Finn says, passing it back to Kalonia.

"Good. I'll take him, and you can go speak with the General."

Finn carefully lifts the baby, supporting his head, and passes him off to Kalonia. She cradles him against her shoulder and starts to pat his back. Finn stands, his eyes lingering on the baby, and then turns to Poe.

"Will you come with me?" he asks.

"Of course," Poe says, taking Finn's hand now that it's free. "Let's go see if she's busy right now. Thank you, doctor," he says to Kalonia with a smile as they leave the medbay.

Once in the hallway, Poe pulls them to a stop and wraps his arms around Finn, hugging him tightly. Finn returns the hug, burying his face in Poe's neck.

"I'm glad you're okay," Poe mumbles. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine," Finn assures him. "Just tired..."

"Well, let's go talk to the General, and then we can go get some sleep. How does that sound?"

"Alright," Finn says with a shrug. He starts to pull back, and Poe kisses him softly.

"Missed you," Poe whispers.

"I missed you too." Finn runs a hand through Poe's hair and rubs his thumb tenderly at Poe's temple. "C'mon."

===

"Come in," a voice calls from inside the briefing room.

Finn pokes his head in, finding the General at the table, a series of datapads in front of her. She looks up and smiles.

"Ah. I was wondering when I'd be hearing from you today. Sit down, please," she invites. Finn steps in, and Poe follows behind. The General raises an eyebrow. "Didn't get enough of a debrief earlier, Commander?" she teases gently.

"Finn asked me to tag along," Poe says with a shrug.

"I see," the General says. She folds her hands in front of her. "Well. I've been hoping you'd stop by to fill me in on what happened today."

Finn clears his throat. "The town was a wreck," he starts quietly. "By the time we got there, the TIEs had done most of the damage, structural and otherwise. The stormtroopers were sent in as... clean-up. We found evidence that they were checking through the homes for any survivors and executing them."

The General nods. "Any survivors?"

"One," Finn supplies. "An infant."

"No surviving parents?"

"No, sir," Finn says quietly. "I found who I presume to be the mother outside the home... dead. None of our teams found any living villagers besides the one infant. He survived because we had shot the stormtroopers who were sweeping the homes. He was the only one who made it."

"What a shame," the General whispers.

"I brought him back with me," Finn adds. "He wouldn't've made it on his own..."

"That was a good thing that you did. I'm assuming he's with Doctor Kalonia now?"

"Yes, sir. He's healthy," Finn reports. "We got him cleaned up and fed. She... Doctor Kalonia, she said... that I should speak to you about... finding him a home." Finn swallows. "Finding someone to adopt him."

The General peers at him curiously. "I do have a list of contacts, yes..."

"Where would he go?" Finn asks quietly, and he feels Poe's hand creep into his lap to hold his own.

"I have prospective parents from a variety of planets, though most on Coruscant and Chandrila. He'd go to a good home, with loving parents whom I know personally."

Finn is silent for a long moment.

"Do you take objection to that?" the General asks patiently.

"I don't feel like I have any right to," Finn murmurs. "But... I feel like we're one and the same. I have no doubt that the stormtroopers would've abducted him. He's strong, healthy, human... And they killed his mother." Finn casts his eyes around the room, upset. "Did they kill my mother before they took me?" he asks helplessly.

"Finn," Poe says, squeezing his hand. "Sweetheart, it's awful, but what do you want to do about it?" he asks gently. "Are you thinking of  _ keeping _ him?"

Finn chews on his lip, deliberately not answering.

Poe sighs heavily. "Finn, a base is no place for a baby..."

"There are babies on base!" Finn argues. "Mo Nauk in Intelligence had one last spring, and Zerdra in the kitchen is pregnant right now, she told me!"

"It's true," the General confirms. "But that was a hard decision Mo Nauk had to make, and Zerdra will have to make the same. And what's more, Mo Nauk stays planetside; they don't go off on dangerous missions like you two do. What will happen to this baby if you don't come home one day, Finn?" she asks quietly.

"Then you can adopt him out," Finn murmurs.

"At the cost of all that pain he'll bear, losing you?"

Finn rubs his hands over his eyes. "...You're right," he whispers. "You're right, what am I thinking?"

"You're thinking with your heart," Poe says softly, rubbing Finn's thigh. "You always do."

"That's not rational," Finn admits, crestfallen. "That's not a platform to base a kid's life and safety on."

"Then again," the General cedes, "there is a case to be made that you understand where he's come from more than anyone else I could send him to."

Finn gazes at her for a long moment. "What are you saying?"

The General shrugs. "I'm saying that... that hard decision is yours to make as well. The same decision that Mo Nauk made, and that Zerdra will make. You're the one who saved him; you're the one who's in his corner. You can make the decision to send him off to friends or family—or in this case, my adoption contacts—or to keep him here with you. It's not a decision you should make lightly."

Finn lowers his eyes and nods. "...Thank you, sir."

"I think you two should take some time to talk about it." She smiles sympathetically. "It  _ is _ a decision that both of you should make together."

"I agree." Poe stands up and rubs a hand behind Finn's neck, squeezing softly. "C'mon, let's go get showered off, and we can go visit him in the medbay again, and... maybe we'll reach a decision. Yeah?"

"Yeah." Finn pulls himself up and sighs. "Thank you, sir," he says to the General.

"You're welcome, Finn. Let me know whatever you decide."

===

"So you want to keep him," Poe murmurs, helping Finn out of his uniform, checking him over for wounds, just like he does every time Finn comes home.

"I hadn't decided," Finn whispers.

"Well, I'd hope so." Poe snorts a laugh. "I'd like to be consulted in things like this..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry for," Poe assures him, placing his hands warmly on Finn's bare shoulders. Finn sighs and starts to help Poe out of his flight suit. "I mean it. You saved that baby's life. And people are  _ supposed _ to get attached to babies. It's a survival mechanism. That's why they're so cute!"

"I don't appreciate you mocking me," Finn mumbles.

"I'm not mocking you, Finn," Poe says softly and sighs. "This is just..." He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "A big decision."

"I know..."

"So let's talk about it." Poe shucks Finn's trousers down so he can step out of them. "Let's say we keep this kid. How are we gonna care for it? Have you ever cared for a baby?"

"I could learn." Finn shrugs. "You know how fast I learn..."

Poe rolls his eyes as he steps out of his flight suit. "Point taken. And I helped my cousins with their babies as a teenager, so I know... something." He shrugs. "I'm sure Kalonia could give us some tips. But... do we have the means to provide for it?"

Finn chews on his lip, stepping into the refresher and turning the shower on, hot. "Well, Kalonia had to get that formula from somewhere... And she did say he can start eating soft foods in a month, maybe..."

Poe steps into the shower after him, sighing as he wraps his arms around Finn from behind and sets his chin on Finn's shoulder. "And what about diapers? A crib? Baby clothes? Someone to care for him while we're out on away missions?"

Finn sighs and rubs his face under the shower spray. "You're right. This is crazy."

"I'm not saying we can't make it work," Poe murmurs. "We just need to plan for it." He steps back and grabs the shampoo, starting to wash his hair. "Material goods, we can get, just like Mo Nauk did. I can fly out soon on a supply run. As for someone to care for him..."

"Maybe Zerdra?" Finn suggests shyly. "I mean, she's having one of her own soon..."

"And she  _ does _ work in the kitchen—not likely to go on any missions." Poe nods. "That could work."

"Do you think so?"

"I do." Poe smiles. "Now it's... just on us." He pauses for a moment. "You do know taking care of a baby is a lot of work, right?"

Finn shrugs, scrubbing the mission's grime from his skin. "I kind of assumed..."

"He's gonna be up off and on all night, crying and needing to be fed every few hours. Are you ready for that?"

"Are you?" Finn counters. "We live together."

Poe nods. "...I am if you are. And making sure he gets enough socialization time will be important. We'll both have to cut back a bit on some of our extra duties to spend time with him."

"Extra duties?" Finn laughs. "I was... thinking I'd cut out a lot of stuff, honestly."

"What, entirely?" Poe asks, surprised.

"Not...  _ entirely _ , no. I'd still train, and help train the other Pathfinders, but... I mean, there's a lot of missions that Besh and Cresh go on that I don't... strictly need to," Finn admits.

"You just like getting a sloppy reunion kiss from me on the tarmac, don't you?" Poe grins.

"Well, I'm not saying I  _ don't _ ..." Finn licks his lips. "It's more that I... want to feel useful. But with the baby around, I know I'll be useful, I'll be there for  _ him _ , and... We can't just keep calling him 'him'," Finn realizes.

Poe clears his throat. "We're not going to name him until we're sure," he says firmly.

Finn nods. "That's... a good idea." He chews on his lip. "Anyways, I... think I could really cut back, do strictly planetside stuff until I'm needed on away missions..."

"That sounds like a good plan," Poe agrees. "And while you're training? You'll have Zerdra watch him?"

"Or you, if you're around." Finn shrugs. "He should have both of us..."

"He should." Poe kisses Finn's shoulder and wraps him up in another hug, pressed against him quietly.

They both stand there for a few minutes, lost in their thoughts. Finn can't get the image of the infant out of his head, with his big dark eyes and tiny nose, his little chubby hands, the warmth and weight of him against Finn's own heartbeat... He closes his eyes and thinks about the years he's committing to if he takes custody of this baby.

"What happens if we can't do it someday?" Finn whispers, breaking the silence.

"Well..." Poe clears his throat. "I was that kid that got shipped away from the war. You know that. I barely saw my parents before I was two. Of course, I don't remember that, and around the age I start having memories from, they were back in my life. And I turned out alright." Poe grins.

"What are you saying?" Finn murmurs.

"That... I'm sure my dad would understand if we ever had to have him look after our—" Poe stops short and swallows.

"The baby," Finn finishes, acutely aware of the hesitancy to put any labels on the infant before they'd decided.

"The baby," Poe agrees. He clears his throat. "Well, let's get dried off and go see how he's doing."

===

Finn knocks on the medbay doorway, and Kalonia turns to them from the datapad she's typing on. She smiles.

"Welcome back. Did you two get a chance to meet with the General?" Kalonia asks as she stands up from the desk.

"We did," Finn says quietly. "We were hoping to see the baby again."

"He's sleeping right now, but you two are more than welcome to visit with him... Follow me."

Kalonia leads them into a small room with one of those basket-like things in the corner, this one made out of duraplast and lined with soft, comfy looking material. Finn steps over, Poe right beside him, and peers down at the infant. He's fast asleep, and Finn's heart melts at his sweet little face. He turns to Poe with a look of longing, and Poe just nods, rubbing his hand over the small of Finn's back.

"Will you let us know when he wakes up?" Finn whispers.

"He'll want to be fed," Kalonia advises them.

"That's fine. Can... Can we do it? Again?"

Kalonia smiles softly. "Perhaps. I'm expecting to feed him again within an hour or two."

"Can we... stay here with him?"

"Indefinitely?" Kalonia asks with an arch to her brow.

"No, no," Finn says softly. "No, just for a few... hours, I don't know." He looks back down at the baby. Finn doesn't want to leave him here all alone, even if he does have Doctor Kalonia to look after him.

"You can stay with him for a while, yes," Kalonia says. "Let me know when he wakes up."

"Thank you," Poe murmurs and goes to grab another chair.

Finn sinks into the first chair, and it's just tall enough that he can see over the edge of the... crib, this must be a crib. He watches the baby as he sleeps, reaching a hand over to touch his tiny, soft hand.

"Careful not to wake him," Poe whispers, settling down in his chair next to Finn.

"He's so small," Finn breathes. "They would've taken him, and he couldn't've done anything to fight them." He swallows. "Just like me."

"And he'll grow up to be good and kind and strong, just like you," Poe assures him, rubbing his back.

"I know it isn't the safest place for a baby," Finn murmurs. "I know all the reasons I shouldn't keep him—  _ we _ shouldn't keep him. But I... I  _ want _ to, Poe. I  _ want _ this baby. I'm not just a... Core Worlder with an extra room in their house who has the time and means to take in an orphan. I have a stake in this..."

"I know you do, sweetheart," Poe whispers. "I want him too. And I want you to be able to keep him. I want us to raise him."

Finn turns to him, vulnerable. "You do?"

"I do." Poe rests his forehead against Finn's. "If that's what you want, then that's what I want too."

"I want that," Finn confirms. "I want to keep him."

Poe stands and kisses the top of Finn's head. "Stay here, for when he wakes up. I'll go tell the General."

"You don't have to—"

"It's okay." Poe smiles. "She'll be wanting to know."

===

"Commander Dameron," the General welcomes warmly, letting Poe into her sitting room. "Three visits in one day, this must be a record... Have a seat."

"Thank you," Poe mumbles and seats himself on one of the sofas. The General sits opposite him, studying him. "I came to talk about the infant that was recovered today."

"I figured as much." The General nods. "Well? Have you and Finn discussed the matter?"

"We have, sir, and—"

"Please." She waves her hand dismissively. "It's after hours and you're here on a rather personal matter. No 'sir'."

Poe swallows and nods. "Alright." He takes a breath. "We'd like to keep him."

"You would?" The General raises her eyebrows.

"We would," Poe confirms. "Finn is... hopelessly in love with him," he admits with a small smile. "I think he's the first baby Finn's ever interacted with, and on top of that, he's orphaned by the same organization that orphaned Finn. He feels connected to him, like he ought to be a part of this baby's life."

"I don't disagree with him. But what about yourself?"

"I go where Finn goes," Poe says with a shrug. "But I've thought about my stake in this, too. Honestly, I..." Poe sighs. "You know I can get reckless. I'm an adrenaline junkie. I take risks that I sometimes don't see the way out of."

"I could've told you all of that," the General replies dryly.

"The point is... I thought Finn was going to be the answer to that. I thought Finn would be that person at home who keeps me coming back. But of course, Finn is out there with me, and I end up doing stupid things because he's out in the field, stupid things to try to save him or protect him... The point  _ is _ , if we keep this baby, I'll have that someone to come home for. And so will Finn."

"And you've thought of how you'll care for this child?"

"We've talked it through a bit, yeah..." Poe shrugs. "I can go out on a supply run soon and pick up what we'll need... Diapers, clothing, the essentials. Would... that be okay?"

"I think we could clear that flight, yes." The General smiles.

"And we discussed the need for a babysitter if we're ever away, too. We thought... maybe Zerdra could watch after him?"

"That could possibly be arranged," the General says with a nod. "I'm sure we could find someone to look after him when needed. But I hope that it's not going to be all the time. Having a child is a serious responsibility."

"You don't have to tell me that," Poe chuckles. "I was the designated babysitter and extra helping hand around the house when all my cousins were having babies... I can change diapers like a pro."

"Good. I imagine you'll have a lot to teach Finn."

"He's a fast learner, though." Poe smiles proudly. "He'll pick it up."

"I'm certain he will." The General takes a slow, deep breath. "What I mean about responsibility, however... You two are willing to make some changes to your daily routines to help ensure the health and wellbeing of this child?"

"Of course," Poe promises. "We'd let nothing compromise his health and safety."

" _ And _ emotional and mental wellbeing," the General stresses. "Will you plan on enough time to play with and socialize him? To read to him? To play with him?"

"We will," Poe says with a smile. "Honestly, Finn can't wait. And neither can I."

The General sits back and surveys Poe for a long moment.

"...And in the event that he can no longer stay here?"

Poe swallows. "If it becomes... dangerous, or too difficult, I'm sure my dad would be glad to take him." He shrugs. "Just like my grandpa took me."

"I knew your mother back then, you know," the General reminds him. "I flew a mission with her after you were born. She told me how very much she missed you. Are you prepared for that?"

"I am," Poe says steadily. "Just as long as we get him back. Finn doesn't want him sent to just anyone, and I agree with him. As you can imagine, I'm due to call my dad after all this, and... I'd love to tell him he's got a new mouth to feed over the holidays." Poe smiles.

The General returns the smile and nods slowly. "Well, then, it seems like you've considered just about everything... Although I do hold some reserves to you making a decision like this within less than a day of being presented with it, I... can see that you've thought it through well, and that you're willing to make the sacrifices necessary." The General stands. "I'll allow your custody of the infant. Be sure you make that supply run within the next twenty-four standard hours."

Poe pulls himself to his feet, grinning. "Thank you, General. I will."

"Send Finn my regards," she adds warmly. "And congratulations, you two."

===

Finn sits comfortably in his chair, the baby on his lap and cradled back against his arm. The baby's hands are pressed against the bottle Finn holds as he sucks hungrily. Finn gazes down at him admiringly.

"Look at you," he coos. "So hungry... You're gonna grow so fast, aren't you? Big and strong..." The baby kicks at the air, energized after his nap, and Finn laughs quietly. "Yeah, you're a feisty one, aren't you? A survivor. And so handsome..."

"Just like yourself," Poe says from the doorway. Finn looks over his shoulder. "He's gonna have one hell of a role model." A grin spreads over Poe's face.

"Really?" Finn asks, holding his breath. "She said yes?"

"She said yes." Poe steps over behind the chair and presses a kiss to the top of Finn's head, squeezing his shoulders. "He's ours. We can keep him."

"You hear that?" Finn murmurs, his voice a bit shaky in disbelief. "You get to stay with us, little one..."

"Sounds like he needs a name," Poe murmurs, settling down in the chair beside Finn's again. "Can't keep calling him 'the baby' forever, now, can we?"

"Definitely not." Finn watches the baby, trying to come up with a name. "I've never named anyone or anything before..."

"It's not hard," Poe says with a shrug. "Just something you like the name of. Commonly, names come from a family member or a person who was important to you, but more often than not, they're just a name that you like."

"It's an awfully big decision," Finn murmurs.

"What, like it was for me to name you?" Poe laughs. "That happened in the middle of an escape!"

"Yeah, but I was able to tell you I liked it... What if he doesn't like the name we pick?"

Poe shrugs. "Then he can change it someday. But we've gotta have  _ something _ to call him..."

Finn chews on his lip. He has no family members to speak of, and all of the important people in his life... Well, he can't imagine naming this baby after any of them. And as far as names he likes go, he supposes he hasn't really been keeping track of any names he particularly likes. He's had no reason to collect names.

"Do you have any ideas?" he asks Poe.

"Not particularly," Poe says, settling comfortably back into his chair. "I have names I like, but I'm not sure any of them particularly fit him."

"Well, what are the names you like? That's a start, right?"

"Sure." Poe stretches his legs out thinks for a moment. "Dash, Cruz, Oliver, Emmett, Pax, Orion, Westley..."

Finn hums, gazing down at the baby as Poe lists off the names. He likes the sound of a lot of them, but when he thinks about referring to their... their son, they have a son... When he thinks about if the names fit their son or not, he can't decide. One of them seems likely, though.

"Do they have meanings?" Finn asks.

"Probably," Poe says with a shrug. "I don't know the meanings for all of them, though."

"Do you know what Pax means?"

Poe smiles slowly. "It's from an old language. It means peace."

Finn looks over and smiles at Poe. "...I like that one. Pax." He looks down at the baby in time to watch him finish the last of his bottle. "What do you think, little one? Pax?" He sets the bottle aside, and the baby makes a cooing noise, squirming in Finn's arms.

"I think he likes it," Poe murmurs, grinning. "It's a good name."

"Pax it is, then." Finn scoops Pax up under the arms and looks him over. He can't believe he's really theirs...

"You've gotta burp him now," Poe says, scooting closer. "After he's eaten."

"How?" Finn asks.

"Well, first..." Poe chuckles and grabs one of the clean rags Kalonia left near the crib. He drapes it over Finn's shoulder. "He might spit up on you. Hope you're cool with that, considering babies are messy..."

"I'm fine with it," Finn murmurs. He lays Pax against his chest like he had seen Kalonia do earlier.

"Just pat his back," Poe instructs. "Or else he might get gassy, and then he'll get fussy because it's uncomfortable..."

Finn presses his cheek against Pax's head briefly, feeling the soft wispy curls of hair that are coming in. He does as Poe says, patting Pax's back.

Doctor Kalonia comes in with a soft knock. "How are things going?"

"Great," Finn answers quietly with a smile.

"We've received approval to keep him, doctor," Poe informs her.

Kalonia smiles. "Congratulations. I hope you two are prepared..."

"We're going to do our very best for him," Finn promises.

"I'm flying out on a supply run tomorrow to pick up the things we need to care for him. We won't have a crib until then, so perhaps he can stay here another night?" Poe asks.

"That'll be fine." Kalonia strokes her thumb over the baby's forehead. "In fact, I do need to run some tests to see if he's received his immunizations. I was hoping to get a quick blood sample before you put him down again for the night."

"He's not at the age where he'll sleep through the night, though, is he?" Poe asks, concerned.

"Probably not," Kalonia cedes. "But we have overnight staff who are able to care for him."

"I'll stay," Finn insists. Poe opens his mouth, but Finn continues, "You have to fly tomorrow. Go get some rest. I'll stay here with him. I was thinking... I might research some things I'll need to know." He looks up at Kalonia. "How to care for him and whatnot."

"I do support your research endeavour, but you need to be sure you're getting your rest..." Kalonia smiles. "He's going to wreak havoc on your sleep schedules. You should go sleep, Finn. The baby will be here tomorrow morning, and when Poe returns, you two can take him home."

"He... has a name now," Finn says, stroking over the fine, soft baby hair. "Pax."

"Pax," Kalonia repeats with a small smile. "What a perfect name. I'll be back in a moment with his file and the supplies." She leaves them alone again.

"You haven't gotten to hold him yet," Finn observes quietly.

Poe shakes his head. "I've just been admiring the two of you together..."

"Would you like to hold him?"

"I'd love to." Poe beams. Finn passes him over carefully and Poe cradles Pax into his arms, smiling down at him. "Hi, darling..."

Finn scoots closer so they can peer down at him together. "He's so tiny and perfect..."

Finn touches Pax's toes softly, making him kick. Pax squeals and gazes up at Finn and Poe for a moment before his face splits into a wide smile. Finn gasps, his heart melting in his chest.

"Oh my god, look at him," Finn whispers, and Poe laughs.

"What a little charmer... Oh, everyone on base is going to  _ love _ you..."

Kalonia comes back with a datapad and a handheld blood scanner. "Alright, you two. We're going to take a quick sample, and then you can put him down to sleep."

Poe and Finn shift apart so Kalonia can reach down to grasp Pax's foot gently. She rubs her palm against his heel, warming and soothing, and then pricks him quickly with the scanner. Pax starts crying immediately, and Finn leans over again to shush him as Kalonia swipes the scanner's sensor through the blood.

"Alright, we're all done here," she announces, laying a small bandage over the wound. "I'll analyze the results later and administer any immunizations he needs tonight. Pax should be all cleared to go home with you tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you," Finn says as Poe rocks Pax gently, talking calmingly to him. "I'll be back in the morning to check on him."

"I'll be expecting you." Kalonia makes a few notes on the datapad and leaves them alone again.

"Shhh, sweetheart, it's okay," Poe is murmuring. "Just a little heel prick and you're all done. It's all over, Pax, it's okay..."

Finn reaches over to rub Pax's tummy soothingly. Pax hiccups and seems to settle a little bit. "There you go, you're okay," Finn coos. "My brave boy..."

"I think it's time for someone to go to bed," Poe says quietly.

"Someone meaning all of us," Finn chuckles. He leans down and kisses Pax's forehead softly. "They're gonna take good care of you tonight," he promises.

"We'll be back to see you tomorrow," Poe whispers as he stands up and carefully lays Pax down on his back in the crib. He leans over to kiss Pax's forehead as well and tickle his belly. "Sleep well, mijo..."

Finn leans against Poe, gazing down at Pax. "I don't wanna leave him..."

"He'll be okay," Poe murmurs. "He's in good hands here. You can come back and see him, bright and early."

"And you'll be back tomorrow afternoon?"

"I promise. Just a quick hop over to the nearest trading port, and then back home." Finn nods, and Poe pulls him away gently. "Come on, love. Time to get some sleep."

===

Poe wakes Finn up the next morning, kissing his face softly and snuggling close. Finn groans softly and blinks his eyes open.

"Hmm?"

"Morning, sweetheart," Poe whispers and kisses Finn's forehead. "Time to get up. I've gotta get down to the hangar, and you've gotta go check on Pax."

"Mhmm..."

Finn shuts his eyes again for a moment, taking a deep breath before letting it out. He rubs at his eyes before opening them again and pushing himself to sit up. Poe climbs out of bed and starts pulling on a new pair of underwear. Finn smiles sleepily at him, admiring the lines of his body. Poe grins over his shoulder.

"See something you like?"

"Just you," Finn says sweetly.

"Good." Poe steps into his flight suit, doing up the fastenings easily. "Again, I should be home by the afternoon. Maybe take Pax by the General's office today and introduce them? And you should try to call Rey, if you can." He grins.

"She's supposed to be home any day, too," Finn reminds him.

"Yeah, but who knows." Poe shrugs. "Maybe it took them longer than expected to find the kyber crystals they were hunting for."

Finn nods and rubs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, could be." He pulls himself out of bed, and Poe comes over to give him a goodbye kiss. "Fly safe today, okay?"

"I will," Poe promises. "Give Pax a kiss for me."

"I will." Finn smiles and strokes Poe's cheek. "See you later, flyboy."

"Bye, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too," Finn murmurs.

Poe kisses Finn's forehead and slips out of their room. Finn turns to get dressed, and he surveys the room as he does so. It's not a terribly huge room, but it's big enough. Their bed takes up a good amount of space, and there's an attached 'fresher, which is a nice luxury. It'll take just a bit of tidying, but they can fit a crib in here, no problem.

Finn heads down to the medbay and finds Kalonia walking around with Pax in her arms, talking to him in a low voice. She spies Finn and smiles.

"Good morning, Finn."

"Morning, doctor. Everything okay?" he asks, concerned.

"Everything's fine," she assures him. "He was just a little upset after the immunizations. He's alright now, as healthy as any baby we've had on base."

"Good," Finn sighs, relieved.

"Commander Dameron is out on his supply run?"

"Yeah, he left a few minutes ago. I was hoping I could introduce Pax to some folks around base while he's gone today..."

"That sounds like a great idea." Kalonia smiles. "Babies like seeing new faces."

"I thought the General might like to meet him," Finn suggests.

"Yes, I'm sure she'd love that." Kalonia carefully passes Pax over to Finn. "He could use a change first, though, and we should bundle him up a bit more if he's going to be out in the corridors with you. It can get a bit drafty."

"Sure," Finn mumbles. He'd heard Kalonia talking about changing him when he'd first brought Pax in, but he's still unclear exactly what that entails. He follows Kalonia back to the room they've been keeping Pax in, and she has some supplies laid out on the counter.

"Have you ever changed a diaper before?" Kalonia asks, a dry amusement on her face.

"Uh... no."

"Well, you're gonna be doing it fairly often for a while!" she laughs. "Everyone's gotta start somewhere. I'll show you how."

===

Finn knocks quietly on the door to the General's office. Doctor Kalonia had wound him up in a wrap designed to carry Pax against his chest, and the soft warm weight against his heart is almost too much for him to bear, in the best possible way.

"Come in," Finn hears through the door, so he enters quietly, a hand rubbing over Pax's back.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," Finn murmurs as the General finishes a note on the datapad in front of her. She looks up and smiles.

"You're not interrupting, Finn. Please, come have a seat."

Finn sits carefully. "I thought you might like to meet Pax."

"Pax." The General beams. "Is he awake?"

Finn peeks down into the sling and finds Pax blinking sleepily, a hand stuffed into his mouth. He laughs quietly. "Yeah, he is..."

The General comes out from behind the desk to sit in the chair beside Finn's. She peers into the sling and smiles. "He's beautiful. You were sure lucky to find him..."

Finn huffs a quiet laugh. "He was squalling his head off. I think all the commotion really upset him..."

"Well, he's in good hands now."

"Would you like to hold him?" Finn offers.

"It's been so long since I've held a baby," the General murmurs wistfully. Pax squirms and makes a grumpy noise, and Finn chuckles.

"Looks like he'd like to come out for a bit."

Finn carefully removes him from the sling the way Kalonia had shown him, lifting him to place him in the General's waiting arms. She cradles him against her chest, watching the way he gums at his hand.

"It's going to take a lot to care for him here," she says softly. "He'll need time with other babies. I'd suggest speaking to Mo Nauk about a playdate."

"That's a good idea." Finn watches as Pax focuses on the General's face, learning her features. "What about food? I know Doctor Kalonia has formula we've been feeding him, and Poe is supposedly bringing some other things back for him, but... What about when he's past the formula?"

"He can eat a lot of the same things we do, just made softer. The kitchen has a machine that can process the food into a puree for him."

"That's good to know."

"And he's going to eat a lot, and sleep a lot. Babies do that for the first part of their life."

"That's what the doctor said." Pax takes his hand out of his mouth and starts waving it around violently, shrieking. "Sorry," Finn says with a wince as the General is smeared with baby spit.

"It's no trouble," she laughs. "I got used to bodily fluids a long time ago with my little one..." She gazes down at Pax, and Finn has no doubt in his mind who she's thinking of right now. "He wants to be part of the conversation, don't you?" The General picks Pax up under his arms and hefts him up, holding him gingerly stood on his weak legs to look at him. Pax smiles and Finn grins in return.

"He's such a happy baby," Finn murmurs. "Despite all he's gone through so far..."

"Infants can be surprisingly resilient," the General says, passing him back to Finn. "From all of what you've told me, I can infer that he was raised amidst a village of individuals who were probably fairly close with one another. He's used to interacting with strangers, so he's comfortable with you. But don't be surprised if he does turn out to have some lingering separation anxiety issues in the future..."

Finn nods, holding Pax close. Pax grabs onto Finn's fingers, pulling them towards his mouth, and Finn laughs. This is the most active he's seen him outside of feeding time. He lets Pax gum on his fingers as the General continues.

"Be sure to give him lots of interaction time with you. Carry him around the base like this when you're not doing anything dangerous. Introduce him to people. Give him things to play with and explore, as long as they're clean and safe enough for him to put in his mouth," she laughs. "Read to him, and give him time to be on his tummy every day."

"This is all really good advice," Finn says. "Thank you so much..."

"It takes a village to raise a child," the General says with a shrug. "There's no shame in asking for advice from someone who's been there."

"Poe knows a lot too," Finn adds. "I'm sure Pax will be just fine between the two of us."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that." The General smiles and stands. "I'll let you get on with your rounds."

"You were the only person I really had plans to show him off to today," Finn admits. "But I was planning on calling Rey soon, actually."

"I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. And Chewie will be happy to hear about the new baby. He'll never admit it, but he loves them." She smiles as she takes her seat behind her desk again.

"I can't wait for them to meet," Finn laughs. He carefully tucks Pax back into the wrap still wound around him. "Maybe we'll go for a walk outside later, too."

"Just make sure to keep him warm." The General smiles. "Thank you for bringing him by."

"Anytime, sir." Finn grins and heads out of the room.

===

"Finn!" Rey cheers as she picks up the call, her face cast in ghostly holo-blue. Finn waves, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the projector in the holoroom, Pax cradled in his lap. "It's so good to hear from you!"

"I've been meaning to call," Finn admits. "Sorry it took so long..."

"Nonsense, I've been busy. You're calling now, that's good enough!" Rey grins.

"How's the lightsaber business going?" Finn asks, playing with Pax's fist where it's wrapped around his middle finger.

"Fantastic," Rey enthuses. "I just found my crystal today, actually."

"So you're coming home soon?" Finn asks eagerly.

"Very soon. We should be home within a standard week."

"That's great." Finn grins. "I, uh. I have something to tell you."

"Oh yeah?" Rey raises an eyebrow. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Finn promises. He looks down at Pax and smiles. "No, I got something else."

Rey frowns. "What are you talking about?"

Finn scoops up Pax carefully, turning him to face the projector and leaning him back against his chest, holding him under his rear. Rey's eyes go wide, her mouth dropping open.

"Where did you get a baby?" she hisses.

"On a mission we were on," Finn explains. "The First Order killed everyone in the village, but we took out the 'troopers before they found this little guy."

"Do you even know how to take care of one?" Rey asks incredulously.

"I'm learning," Finn says defensively.

"I'm sorry," Rey sighs. "I didn't mean to imply you were... incompetent. But you have to know this is a  _ huge _ responsibility, Finn."

"I do. And so does Poe. And we talked about it, and we're keeping him. His name is Pax."

Rey gazes at Pax, and Finn can see her expression softening the tiniest bit. "Well..." She bites her lip. "He  _ is _ really cute..."

"He's going to love you," Finn says, giving him a gentle jiggle. "You get to meet auntie Rey in a week," he tells Pax.

Rey groans. "Oh gods, I'm auntie Rey now. Does that mean I have to buy him lots of little presents and candies whenever I leave base?"

"Well, I'm not gonna tell you not to," Finn says with a grin. "Really, though, we might just ask you to babysit sometimes. And of course you can come play with him whenever you want."

"How do babies even play?" Rey asks curiously.

"Mostly, he just likes to stuff things in his mouth," Finn says, bemused.

Rey laughs. "Where's Poe?"

"He's out on a supply run right now," Finn says, lowering Pax back down into his lap and giving him a finger to mouth at. "Should be home in a few hours, I hope."

"What'd the General say about all this?"

"She's happy for us." Finn smiles. "I took Pax to meet her this morning, and I think she's just as in love with him as Poe and I are."

"He's very cute," Rey agrees.

"Just wait 'til you meet him in person and he slobbers all over you." Finn grins widely.

"Oh, gross." Rey laughs, and then looks over her shoulder for a moment. "Ah, sorry Finn... I have to go for a while. But I'll be back soon!"

"It's good to talk to you, Rey. Hurry back."

"I will. Bye, Finn. Bye, Pax!"

Finn smiles and waves goodbye as the transmission cuts out. He looks down at Pax, cozy on his lap. Pax lets out an emphatic 'aaa' sound, reaching up for Finn, who lifts him up and kisses his cheek.

"Alright, Pax. Shall we go back to the room for a bit? Maybe pick you up a bottle on the way? You're probably gonna be hungry soon."

Finn carefully tucks Pax into his wrap, listening to him making fussy noises at being shifted around. He climbs to his feet and heads towards the medbay. Halfway there, Pax starts to whine.

"Hush, little one, you're okay. We're gonna go rest soon, okay?"

Pax doesn't heed him, and breaks into full-on tears. Finn bounces him carefully as he walks, rubbing his back and shushing.

"Shhh, Pax, shh," he murmurs. "It's alright, we're gonna go see the doctor and get you some lunch..."

They reach the medbay shortly, and Kalonia steps over, worried by Pax's wailing.

"What's the matter?"

"I think he's just hungry," Finn says. "Can you make up a bottle for us?"

"Of course." Kalonia peeks into the wrap and touches Pax's forehead. "He's a little warm..."

"Really?" Finn asks, a bit panicked. "Is that bad?"

"It's okay," Kalonia assures him. "It's probably just a side effect of the immunizations." She looks through a cupboard for a moment and produces a small bottle. She uses a syringe to pull up the correct dosage and hands it to Finn. "I'm going to give you a bottle to feed him back in your room where you can settle in with him for a while. Administer that syringe by mouth once he's done eating, and bring him back for his next bottle so I can check on him."

"Okay," Finn murmurs, still trying to calm Pax down.

"He's probably just cranky and hungry," Kalonia says, seeing to Pax's bottle. "Get a meal in him and put him down for a nap."

"I'll do that." Finn rubs Pax's back and rocks him, trying to quiet him down. "You're okay, Pax, I know you're hungry... We're gonna go home and eat lunch real soon."

Kalonia hands him a warm bottle and the blanket Pax was brought in with. "Bring him back if there's anything you need, okay?"

"Thank you, doctor," Finn says, wrapping the blanket over Pax and giving him a gentle bounce. "Shhh, Pax, let's go get some lunch in you, sweetheart."

Finn brings Pax back to his and Poe's room, silently apologizing to all the rooms near theirs about the noise of the crying infant. He sets the blanket, bottle and syringe down on the bed and carefully frees Pax from the wrap.

"Alright, my little prince." Finn sits against the headboard and cradles Pax, offering him the bottle. He latches on right away and drinks hungrily. "There we go..."

Finn watches Pax eat, memorizing every line of his features. He loves the warm umber of Pax's skin, the tiny perfect shells of his ears, his clear dark eyes... He can't wait to see what kind of person Pax becomes.

Once Pax finishes his bottle, Finn grabs an old t-shirt from the floor to drape over his shoulder. He lays Pax against his chest and burps him just like Poe showed him last night. Pax gurgles and burps, snuggling contentedly against him. When he's done, Finn cradles Pax in his arms again to give him the syringe of medicine. Pax makes a face at the taste but takes it easily enough.

"Alright, the General said you need some time on your tummy." Finn carefully lays Pax down on his front on the mattress beside him, and scoots down to get on his level. Pax shrieks and smiles, and Finn chuckles. "You're so cute. I can't wait until Rey can meet you."

Finn and Pax pass the time by playing with Pax's tiny hands, until Pax starts to yawn. Finn is just as startled as he was by the first smile he saw, completely endeared by the huge gasping yawns. He tickles Pax's back and carefully rolls him over.

"Time for a nap, huh, buddy?" Finn scoots back up to a seated position, grabbing his datapad from the bedside table. He sets it in his lap and reaches over to rub Pax's tummy. "Go to sleep, sweetheart..."

Before long, Pax is out like a light, and Finn switches his datapad on. He pulls up a search tab and pauses for a moment before typing:

[first time parenting tips]

===

The door slides open a few hours later and Beebee comes rolling in. She spots Finn, almost surprised.

[What are you doing in your quarters?] she beeps, not accusingly. [Don't you train in the afternoon?]

"I'm taking some time off," Finn says quietly, setting his datapad aside.

[Why are you speaking so quietly?] Beebee chirps, lowering her volume to match.

Finn smiles. "That's right, you were already in standby last night when Poe and I came in..."

[I still don't understand why Poe didn't take me with today,] Beebee grumbles.

"He didn't take the X-Wing, did he?" Finn explains patiently. "He's on a supply run; he's flying a small cargo shuttle. Besides, weren't you working on repairs in the hangar today?"

[Yes,] Beebee concedes. [Though I don't see why Poe had to go on an emergency supply run today. We just went six days ago!]

"Well, things changed." Finn smiles down at Beebee.

[What changed?] Beebee chirps suspiciously. [Why are you being quiet?]

"There was a sole survivor from the rescue mission yesterday," Finn explains. "A human infant. So I brought him home with us, because there was no one to care for him."

Beebee makes a curious noise, rolling closer to the bed.

"And... Poe and I have decided to take care of him."

Beebee peers over Finn's legs at the sleeping infant and lets out a quiet, surprised coo. [He is very small.]

"He is," Finn agrees with a small laugh.

[Does he have a name?]

"His name is Pax."

[Pax.] It's a cute sort of warbling yip, and Finn can't wait for Pax to learn it.

"He's sleeping right now. Babies sleep a lot."

[I've never seen a human baby before,] Beebee admits.

"Well, when he wakes up, he can meet you."

[And he will tell me about himself?] she asks eagerly.

Finn laughs. "No, he can't speak yet."

[Can't speak?] Beebee rolls back, affronted. [Even I can speak.]

"Yes, but he has to learn," Finn explains patiently. "He can't even sit up on his own right now."

[He sounds very useless,] she blats flatly.

Finn snorts. "Hey, don't be rude."

[Sorry,] she beeps, cowed. [But what does he do?]

"Well," Finn sighs. "He eats, he sleeps... He's learning a lot about the world right now. He's growing. And soon he'll start replicating sounds and learning how to speak, and learning how to sit up as he strengthens his muscles... He'll learn how to walk..."

[Humans are very interesting,] Beebee warbles.

Finn chuckles. "Yeah, I guess they are..."

Beebee rolls back over and peers at Pax. She watches him for a long moment, silent as she observes, and then she swivels to look up at Finn.

[How long will you be taking care of him?]

"Well... As long as we can," Finn explains with a shrug. "Hopefully a long time."

[Like how humans hopefully use the word 'forever'?] Beebee guesses.

Finn chuckles. "Yeah, I guess forever. I mean, he'll grow up and become his own person, but... He'll still be ours," he says quietly.

[Is he your son?] Beebee chirps.

Finn considers it for a long moment. "Yeah," he finally answers softly. "Yeah, he is."

===

Finn steps out of the medbay, Pax wrapped snugly against his chest again after his afternoon bottle. He has a hand under Pax's rear, bouncing him gently and murmuring to him.

"Poe is gonna be back any minute," he tells Pax. "And he's going to bring you so many things."

Beebee rolls down the hallway from the direction of their room. [A shuttle just broke atmo,] she chirps merrily.

"That must be Poe." Finn pauses, reasoning with himself. He wants desperately to go to the hangar and meet Poe, to help him carry things back, but he has to think about Pax. The hangar tends to be loud and full of chaos, especially on a day like today when he expects many of the pilots will be working on their ships.

[Are you coming?] Beebee asks, wobbling impatiently.

Finn looks down at Pax. He also hasn't introduced him to anyone outside of the need-to-know crowd, and his hand spreads over Pax's back protectively. How much commotion and fawning is too much for an infant? After a moment, he decides it's worth at least to check out the state of the hangar.

"Yeah, lead the way, buddy," he tells Beebee, and follows her as she rolls off down the hall.

Finn passes a wave of people walking the other way, and realizes that it must be dinner time, and folks are headed to the mess. He gets a number of curious looks, and he pulls the wrap a bit closer over Pax's face, not meeting anyone's eyes. There's time to introduce him to everyone later.

When they reach the hangar, it's almost entirely clear, everyone having gone to dinner. Poe's shuttle is being taxied in, and Finn stands against a pillar off to the side, waiting. Once Poe parks the ship and the ground crew give an all-clear, Finn steps over to the hatch, Beebee at his heels. The hatch lowers and Poe steps out, grinning.

"I just have to tell you," Poe starts, coming down the ramp towards Finn as Beebee rolls up to peek at what Poe's brought, "how great you look right now." Poe puts his hands on Finn's waist, over the folds of the wrap.

"Yeah?" Finn snorts.

Poe peeks down, gently tugging the wrap away from Pax's sleeping face. "How's he been?" he murmurs.

"Fine," Finn says softly. "Had a bit of a fever today after the immunizations, but he's okay now."

"Glad to hear it. Can you help me carry some of this stuff? I think we'll use a hovercart to get it all back to the room," Poe reasons, and Finn follows him up the ramp.

"Took him to meet the General today," Finn continues. "She's in love with him, unsurprisingly."

Poe laughs. "That's seeming like a trend."

"It is," Finn agrees, grabbing a few bags of things. "I called Rey and introduced him to her, too."

"She'll be back soon, right?" Poe asks, carting a few boxes down to the hangar floor. Beebee rolls down with him and goes to get a hovercart, clumsily pushing it over towards the shuttle.

"Should be, yeah. Have any trouble today?"

"Nah," Poe says. "Smooth sailing."

"Glad to hear it." Finn stacks the goods that Poe brings onto the lift, until the shuttle is empty. Poe closes it up and comes back to start guiding the hovercart out of the hangar.

"Are you hungry?" Poe asks, glancing over at Finn.

"A little," Finn admits.

[You haven't eaten more than a small snack all day,] Beebee accuses.

Poe frowns. "Is that true?"

Finn glares at Beebee. "I'm fine. I just wasn't all that hungry today. But dinner sounds like a good idea."

"Dinner  _ is _ a good idea," Poe agrees. "Let's drop this stuff off and go get something to eat."

FInn hesitates. "Even with Pax?"

"Sure, why not?" Poe shrugs. "And when he wakes up, we can give him a bottle, too. I picked up formula so we don't have to keep going to Kalonia for it."

Finn chews on his lip. "I just haven't exactly... introduced him to everyone."

Poe nods slowly, considering.

[Word has spread around base that a baby was recovered from the mission,] Beebee chirps helpfully.

"But they don't know that we're adopting it," Finn adds.

"That's true." Poe glances over at Finn. "They're going to figure it out sooner or later."

"I know," Finn sighs. "I just don't want to overwhelm him or..."

"Or... share him quite yet?" Poe guesses with a grin as they reach their room. Finn shrugs sheepishly as he keys the door open. "That's fine, sweetheart. Would you rather I bring something back here?"

"...No," Finn says. "No, I'll go. We'll go," he corrects. "All three of us. It'll be fine."

[Four of us?] Beebee asks, almost accusing.

Poe laughs. "Yes, you can come with." He turns back to Finn. "And if Pax gets overwhelmed, we can head out."

Finn nods. "Okay. Let's get this stuff unloaded."

"Do you... mind if I hold him a while?" Poe asks.

"Of course not," Finn says, looking over, a bit alarmed. "He's your son too."

Poe's face breaks into a grin. "My son, huh?"

[Finn says Pax is your son and you're going to keep him forever,] Beebee supplies helpfully. Finn shifts shyly.

"Well... He kind of is, isn't he?" Poe smiles kindly up at him as Finn removes Pax from the wrappings. Poe reaches for him and pulls Pax into his arms gently. "Our son... Hey there, little prince..."

Finn leans up and kisses Poe's forehead before turning to unload the boxes. He peeks into them as he does so, organizing them. One box contains pieces with which to assemble a crib. Another is full of formula, and another of cloth diapers. He also finds clothing, toys, books, various products like soaps and shampoos... He gets it all tucked neatly against the wall and turns to Beebee.

"Would you mind returning the hovercart to the hangar before you meet us in the mess?" he asks.

[I will do that,] Beebee agrees, and starts to push the cart out into the hall again. [I will find seats!]

"Good, thanks," Finn says, though he knows the other pilots are bound to be saving seats for them already.

Finn turns and sees Poe sitting on the edge of their bed, gazing down at Pax and singing quietly. Finn steps over and sits down next to him, leaning against Poe's shoulder. Poe finishes his song slowly, Pax blinking sleepily up at him.

"We should put him in something warmer if we're taking him to the mess," Finn says quietly.

"There's a warm pajama set in one of the boxes," Poe suggests, scooping Pax up under the arms and kissing his forehead. Finn goes to find the pajamas, and Poe lays Pax out on his back on the bed. "Would you like to go meet everyone?" Poe asks Pax, his face animated.

"Is that a good idea?" Finn asks, coming back with the warm onesie.

"Why not?" Poe looks up. "Babies love seeing new faces, and again... If he gets tired and overwhelmed, we'll just leave." He shrugs.

"Okay..."

"What, are you worried they're gonna try to steal him?" Poe teases. "He  _ is _ very cute..."

Finn leans down and changes Pax into the warmer outfit. "No, I guess... Well, I guess you're right. I'm just being selfish with him."

"That's okay," Poe reassures him, rubbing Finn's back. "But they're gonna have to meet him sooner or later, right?"

"Right." Finn does up the snaps on the pajamas and lifts Pax into his arms. Pax reaches out to touch Finn's face, and when Finn smiles widely at him, Pax smiles back in return. "Handsome boy..."

Poe stands and wraps his arms around Finn from behind. "Ready to go get some dinner?" he asks, setting his chin on Finn's shoulder. Pax lets out a laugh suddenly, loud and cackling, startling Finn in the best way. Poe laughs in return, grinning widely at Pax. "Does your dad have two heads now?"

Finn turns toward Poe, their cheeks pressing together, warmth spreading through his chest. "Is that me?"

"Dad?" Poe pulls back a bit to be able to turn and see Finn better. "Well... Yeah, right?" He squeezes Finn's sides. "I mean... If he's our son, we're his dads... right?"

"I suppose so, yeah." Finn smiles and starts tucking Pax into the wrap around his chest. "So are you 'dad' too then? That's gonna get confusing..."

Poe shrugs. "Or 'papa'... Or hell, he could even call us by our names. I don't care. I just want him to know that we're both here for him..."

"He will," Finn murmurs, tucking the wrap securely around Pax. "We'll make sure of it."

===

Dinner isn't as big of an ordeal as Finn had been fearing. The usual crowd of pilots welcomes them over to their usual table, letting out a cheer at the sight of them. Finn looks momentarily alarmed, his hand tightening slightly on Pax's back, and Jess shushes the group hastily.

"Oi! They've got a sleeping bundle of joy!" she hisses in a stage whisper. Quieter but no less cheerful laughter rings around the table as Finn and Poe approach.

[I found seats!] Beebee whistles.

"Thank you, Beebee. Right where they always are," Poe says with a grin. He turns to Finn. "Want me to get you a plate?"

Finn shakes his head. "I'm fine. Let's go."

As they walk over to dish up their dinner, Finn tries hard not to notice all the eyes on them. It feels very similar to the first time the word really circulated about him and Poe being together. He doesn't understand why people can't just mind their own business about things. He looks down at Pax, then, and starts to understand...

A baby is hope. A baby is a clean, innocent slate, impressionable to its guardians' will. While that state was abused by the First Order, here Finn has a chance to impress all of the positives of the galaxy on this baby. Goodness, truthfulness, faithfulness, loyalty to one's friends and family, doing the right thing... He can't blame everyone for being excited about having a baby around.

Still, the sea of faces doesn't comfort him much as he follows Poe back to their table with his plate. He wishes it were still him and Poe and Pax, their little... family, he supposes. Just the three of them together, pretending they weren't in the middle of a war... Again, he can't blame anyone for being curious and interested, but he feels like the owner of every set of eyes on Pax is going to want to come take precious minutes away from Finn's time with him...

"You're awfully quiet," Poe murmurs as they take their seats, before their friends can suck them into a conversation.

"Just tired," Finn mumbles.

Poe frowns slightly. "You okay?"

"M'fine." Finn nods and gives him a small smile.

"Pax still asleep?"

Finn nods again. He can feel the baby out cold against his chest, and he picks up his fork to dig into his dinner.

"So," Jess says pointedly, and the chatter around them dies down a bit, as if everyone knows what she's about to ask. Poe watches her patiently. "When were you going to tell us about this?"

Poe glances briefly at the sleeping bundle against Finn's chest. He shrugs. "The next time I saw you. Which is now. Hi, Jess, we've got a baby." He grins widely.

Snap rolls his eyes. "Great, but... Why?"

"Why not?" Poe argues. "He needs a home, and we wanted to keep him. Simple as that."

"You're  _ soldiers _ ," Jess counters.

"So were my parents." Poe stares firmly at her. "You're not going to convince us out of this."

Finn eats quietly, waiting for the right moment, if any, to add his input. Everyone else processes this, and it seems they're trying to come up with something to say that won't be offensive. Finally, Bastian speaks.

"Congratulations," he says quietly. Finn looks up, and Bastian is smiling. He means it.

Finn returns the smile. "Thank you."

"What's his name?"

"Pax," Finn says.

"Can we see him?" Yolo cuts in eagerly.

Finn glances down, hesitating. The only people who have seen him are he and Poe, the General, Rey—and Beebee, and the whole medbay staff, and his whole Pathfinder corps, and... now he's feeling a little dumb for being so exclusive with Pax.

"He's sleeping," Poe says while Finn pauses, but Finn gives him a small smile.

"No, it's okay."

Carefully, Finn pulls the edge of the wrap away from Pax's face, revealing his warm brown skin and wisps of curls. His mouth is softly open as he sleeps, curled close against Finn's chest. The whole table seems to gasp and coo in a hush, leaning to get a closer look. Finn grins with pride.

"He's gorgeous," Yolo breathes.

"Yeah, he's something alright," Finn murmurs fondly.

Finn looks up at Jess, who is still quiet, but at least she's not condemning them anymore. In fact, her eyes seem to have softened a bit. Finn cups a hand around Pax's back as he tugs the wrap over his sleeping face again. Everyone eases back into their seat fully.

"Anyone have a problem with our kid?" Poe asks mildly. No one speaks up, and he smiles. "Right. So. Anyone doing any interesting ship maintenance?" he switches the topic cheerfully.

The rest of dinner passes easily. Pax sleeps until the end of it, when he wakes up and starts to squirm a bit, making small fussy noises. Finn pulls the wrap aside from his face and strokes his cheek softly.

"Hey, handsome," he whispers. "What's the matter? You hungry?"

Poe looks over. "Time to go back for a bottle?"

"I think so," Finn murmurs.

They stand, and a cadet jogs up to Finn, her slightly-too-large boots clunking on the floor.

"Sir!" the cadet says, snapping a quick salute at Finn.

Confused, Finn looks at Poe and back to the cadet. "...There's no 'sir' necessary. What's the matter?"

"One of the... rescues, sir," she says, seemingly tacking on the title out of a force of habit. "The 'trooper rescues?"

Finn straightens slightly. "What's going on?"

The 'trooper rehabilitation program is fairly new, consisting of only three former 'troopers, Finn being one of them. One of the other two is around nineteen years old and had managed to slip away from her squadron during a raid; the other is eight, and was apprehended due to a lucky chance. The Resistance had been attempting to intercept a ship carrying 'trooper cadets to another base, but the mission had gone awry, and the ship had become damaged and the life support systems failed. The only cadet able to survive decided, soon after rescue, that he wished to continue to live—outside of the confines of the First Order.

The beginnings of the program had been rocky, as Finn is sure his first few days awake on base had been as well. But the two seem to be adjusting as well as can be, making friends and even picking names for themselves. Trip and Enrik haven't shown any struggles in weeks—until today, apparently.

"Enrik, sir," the cadet supplies. "He... had an episode."

Finn frowns. He turns to Poe and licks his lips. "Can you—"

"Anything," Poe promises.

Finn lifts Pax carefully out of his wrap and hands him to Poe, who cradles him carefully against his chest, shushing and bouncing him as he fusses. "Take him home and feed him?" Finn asks, hastily undoing the wrap from around himself and handing the bundle to Poe to take back with him.

"Of course. Do what you need to do." Poe turns to Pax, giving him a smile. "Come on, mijo... Time for some dinner."

They part ways, Finn dashing after the cadet down towards the group barracks. Enrik had been doing so well the last time Finn had checked in with him. He had been making friends with some of the younger Resistance members and making strides towards picking a focus. Despite Finn's and the General's insistence that he didn't have to stay here and fight, that he could go to a peaceful loving home, Enrik had argued that he was a soldier, and that he would stay here and learn, so that he could someday fight against the organization that had taken everything from him. Finn admires the kid greatly.

The cadet rounds the corner, and Finn follows to find Enrik curled up in a ball in the hallway, struggling to breath steadily. Finn nods to the cadet and waves her off, and she goes back towards the mess hall. Finn crouches down beside Enrik, close but not touching for now.

"Enrik?" Finn says softly. "Buddy, it's Finn. Is it alright if I touch you?"

Enrik doesn't shrink away, so Finn carefully reaches out and lays a hand on the boy's shoulder. He's trembling, but he doesn't flinch, and Finn squeezes gently, reassuringly.

"You're safe," Finn murmurs. "You're with the Resistance, and I'm your friend—I'm here for you. You're safe, and if you want to talk to me, I'll listen. I'm here to help you, Enrik."

The silence stretches on. Enrik doesn't uncurl at all, so Finn shifts to a more comfortable sitting position. After a few minutes, Enrik shifts, starting to lift his head. His light eyes peek out at Finn, studying him, and his breathing hitches slightly. After another moment, he speaks up, his voice shaky and raspy.

"I just had... had a dream," Enrik says.

"A dream?" Finn presses. "Were you having a nap?" He smiles warmly, letting Enrik know that naps are totally okay in the Resistance. But Enrik shakes his head.

"I was awake. But it was like a dream. A memory."

Finn's heart sinks. Only eight years old and the kid already is having stress flashbacks... He rubs Enrik's shoulder slightly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Enrik shakes his head.

"That's okay," Finn promises. "If you want to talk about it later, you can come find me, okay?"

Enrik is quiet for a moment, and then says, "It was bad."

"I know," Finn murmurs. "I have bad ones sometimes too."

As they sit together in another silence, Enrik shifts and curls against Finn's side, clutching his shirt. Finn wraps his arm around the boy comfortingly, like he wishes he had someone to do for him at that age. He rubs Enrik's arm.

"Are you feeling like you want to sleep? Or eat? Or anything else?"

"Sleep," Enrik breathes. Already he feels heavier against Finn's side.

"Alright, little soldier." Finn scoops up Enrik behind the back and under the knees, hefting him up as he stands. "I know bad memories are scary," he says kindly. "But you should know that a lot of people have them here. If you ever want to talk to anyone to make them less scary, you can talk to me, or anyone else you want to talk to. We're all very good listeners," Finn promises.

Enrik nods against Finn's chest, and Finn walks him into the barracks. There are a few groups of people hanging around, playing sabacc or doing things on their datapads. He carries Enrik to his bunk and deposits him gently, pulling the blanket up over him.

"Sleep well, okay?" Finn murmurs, brushing Enrik's straight, soft hair off of his forehead. "And remember, they're just in here now." He taps Enrik's forehead gently. "They can't get you. They'd have to get through us first." He smiles and watches Enrik's eyes close, and turns to leave.

The walk back to his room is quiet and contemplative. He'd always enjoyed being around Enrik and the other younger people on base. And now he has a son, who will grow into a kid like Enrik, a young adult like those newer recruits, his own man just like Poe and Finn themselves... He knows that, measured against Enrik and himself, the bar is set low. So long as he provides a loving, stimulating environment for Pax and gives him all the affection and attention he needs to thrive, Pax will turn out alright. But Finn hopes that he can do more for Pax, that he can instill in him a sense of do-good like he and Poe have, that he can help Pax to shape himself into the type of person who affects positive change in the lives of others around him.

Finn returns to his and Poe's room and keys the door open. The first thing he hears is quiet singing, and he steps in to find Poe propped against the headboard on their bed, shirtless in just his boxers. Finn toes his boots off, smiling at Poe. Pax is lying against his chest, stripped out of his pajamas and left only in a clean cloth diaper. He's sprawled skin to skin with Poe, dozing, Poe's hands holding him soft and secure. Poe finishes his song and smiles at Finn.

"You're back," he murmurs.

"I am," Finn confirms. He strips out of his clothes slowly, sighing. "Enrik was having a bad evening."

"Is he okay?" Poe asks, concerned.

"I put him to bed." Finn shrugs. "We'll see in the morning, I guess..." He steps over to their bed, clad only in his boxers, and leans down to kiss Poe's forehead. "Good job on the lullaby," he whispers.

"Well, it's half the food and half my wonderful singing." Poe grins. "Wanna put him down for the night?"

"Sure." Finn lifts Pax carefully off of Poe's chest, feeling the warm softness of Pax's skin as he curls against Finn's chest. Finn brings him to the crib that Poe must have assembled while he was gone. He looks back over his shoulder. "How did you get all of this done?"

"Jess helped," Poe admits. "She felt bad for coming off as an ass at dinner. I told her it was fine, but she insisted on putting the crib together while Pax ate." He grins. "She did a pretty good job."

"It looks great," Finn agrees. He lies Pax down on his back, running his fingertips gently over his full belly. "Good night, little one," he whispers. "I love you..."

"Already, huh?" Poe murmurs from the bed. Finn turns to see him grinning teasingly. "Took you nearly three months to tell me that, and you're already telling him within a couple days?"

Finn climbs into bed with Poe, pressing him down into the sheets with a kiss. "Apparently you opened my heart to the world." He laughs. "Though I'm glad yours is open to him, too."

"Of course it is," Poe says, shifting under the covers with Finn, starting to bed down for the night.

"Walking in to see you with him was so..." Finn trails off, unable to find the right word. " _ Right _ ," he finally supplies, though it feels underwhelming to the actual feeling.

"It's good for babies to get skin to skin contact," Poe says with a shrug. "Helps them bond with their parents."

"The two of you are beautiful together," Finn murmurs, brushing Poe's curls off his forehead.

"I could say the same thing about you." Poe grins, tired around the eyes. Finn runs a thumb gently under one of them.

"Let's get some sleep," he suggests. "It's only a matter of time before Pax will probably wake us up, anyways..."

"Good point," Poe chuckles. He kisses Finn's forehead. "You've looked after him so much... I'll take the first shift when he wakes up."

"Deal," Finn agrees readily, and they sink into the pillows, falling asleep within a matter of minutes.

===

Finn wakes in the middle of the night to Pax's cries, and he starts to push himself up before Poe's sleep-warmed hand presses him back down into the sheets.

"I've got it," Poe mumbles. "Remember?"

Finn feels Poe climb out of bed and hears his bare feet padding over the floor. He turns on the glow globe by Pax's crib, turning it on a low warm orange. Finn blinks sleepily, watching the silhouette of Poe lifting Pax out of the crib and cuddling him to his chest.

"Shhh, mijo," Poe whispers, bringing Pax over to the table they've piled a bunch of his things on.

Poe gets to work making a bottle, swaying and rocking Pax as he does. Pax doesn't quiet at all, and Finn's heart aches at the sound of his cries. He pushes himself to sit up in bed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. He's not going to be able to get back to sleep until after this is dealt with anyways.

"Poe," Finn murmurs, seeing him glance back over his shoulder.

"Go back to sleep," Poe presses.

"I can't." Finn reaches his arms out. "Let me take him while you warm up his bottle."

Poe brings Pax over and passes him off to Finn, kissing Finn's forehead as he does so. Finn holds Pax against his bare chest, pulling the blankets up from around his waist to keep him warm. He rubs Pax's back soothingly, shushing him. Before long, Poe comes back over with his bottle.

"I'll take him," Poe murmurs. "Once he starts eating, he'll quiet down and you can go back to sleep."

Poe climbs back into bed, and Finn passes Pax off to him. He rolls to face Poe and Pax, seeing Poe nestle comfortably against the headboard, situating Pax in his lap. He offers the bottle to Pax, who lets out a last few whimpers before latching on.

"There we go," Poe whispers. "Everything is okay, sweetpea..."

Finn lets his eyes slide shut, listening to Pax drinking hungrily and Poe murmuring sweetly to him. Just as he's drifting off, Poe begins to sing quietly, and Finn slips back into sleep.

===

Finn wakes slowly in the morning to a quiet, sunlit room. He blinks sleepily, rolling over onto his back, and sees Poe in his peripheral vision. He turns his head to face him, and sees that Poe is spooned up around Pax, who is lying on his back between his dads.

"Morning, sweetheart," Poe murmurs. Finn rolls over all the way, careful of Pax. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Finn says, and clears his throat to rid himself of the sleep scratchiness in his voice. "Didn't hear him wake up this morning..."

"Nah." Poe tickles Pax's tummy as Pax sucks on one of the toys Poe had brought for him. "I woke up early this morning, caught him just as he started to fuss. He's had breakfast, got a clean diaper on..."

"You're an angel," Finn chuckles, stretching over for a soft kiss. Poe smiles against his lips and pulls away gently.

"You deserved the rest."

"Any plans for the day?" Finn asks, gazing down at Pax as he plays.

"Not particularly." Poe rolls onto his back and stretches lazily. "Breakfast at some point... Maybe I'll swing by the hangar and see if there's any repairs I can help out with..."

Finn nods. "I want to get some training done today. Maybe you can take Pax for the afternoon, after you're done in the hangar this morning?"

"That sounds great." Poe grins. "You'll have to teach me how Kalonia got you all wrapped up with him."

"I'd love to." Finn smiles. He scoops Pax up, rolling onto his back and placing Pax on him, tummy to tummy. Pax smiles widely around the toy in his mouth, and Finn grins back. "He's like pure sunshine..."

"He really is," Poe agrees, snuggling up to Finn's side. "I think he'd like a walk outside, y'know," Poe murmurs. "Maybe we can take him after breakfast, before I head off to the hangar?"

"I like the sound of that."

"Or," Poe amends, "maybe we have a picnic for lunch."

Finn turns and kisses Poe's forehead. "That sounds even better. I'll rustle something up while you're working, and then we can trade him off after lunch?"

"Perfect." Poe pillows his cheek on Finn's shoulder, watching Pax fondly. "Just like you, huh? You're perfect." He brushes his fingers through Pax's wispy curls. Pax laughs and squirms, and Finn lets out a lovestruck sigh.

"He really is."

===

A week slips by, and Finn and Poe find a rhythm with Pax. They take him for daily walks around the outside of the base, and they bring him for play dates with Mo Nauk's baby. Pax eats often and well, chubby and happy, and Finn becomes just as good as Poe at changing diapers. In fact, he's just on the way to the mess hall after changing Pax when Beebee rolls up to him, whistling excitedly.

[Rey is back!] Beebee shrieks.

Finn lights up. "Really?" He puts a hand on Pax's back through the wrap, holding him close as he walks a bit faster down the hall after Beebee.

[She just landed!] Beebee trills. [I told her I would bring you! She wants to meet Pax!]

It's only a few minutes of walking before Finn reaches the hangar door, and he pushes it open to find a frenzy of activity. Techs are helping to offload crates of supplies from the  _ Falcon _ , and Poe is chatting animatedly with Rey. Finn searches the room with his eyes, and finds Luke and Chewie with the General, talking quietly off to the side. Finn heads for Rey, smiling widely.

"Welcome back," he greets, and Rey spins, her eyes bright.

"Finn!" She reaches her arms out for a hug, but Finn takes a step back, cautious. Rey's eyes dart down and her eyes widen. "Oh!" She approaches more carefully, curious. "Can I see him?"

"Of course." Finn grins and lifts Pax out of the wrap. "You can even hold him, if you like."

Rey looks up, alarmed. "I don't know how to..."

"It's easy," Poe says, stepping up beside her. "Here, just..." He arranges her arms correctly, and Finn gently sets Pax into them. "The most important thing is to support his head, and keep him secure."

"Pax, this is Auntie Rey," Finn says, and strokes a hand over Pax's curls. They're coming in thicker now.

Rey smiles down at Pax, earning a smile from him in return. "Oh, he's precious," she whispers. "You're precious!" she coos at Pax. He makes a gurgling noise back at her.

"Does this mean you'll babysit every once in a while?" Poe asks with a grin.

Rey laughs. "I mean, you'll have to teach me a lot more than just how to hold him, but... I don't see why not."

"You'll learn." Finn chuckles. "I sure did."

"You two are going to be such good dads," Rey murmurs. She looks down at Pax again, shifting him gently in her arms. "And you're going to grow up to be such a sweet, kind little boy, and then a good man, just like your dads..."

"We're gonna try our best," Poe jokes.

===

"Can you grab the towel for me?" Finn calls from the refresher.

"What, did you forget it again?" Poe teases, fishing the hooded baby towel out of their clean laundry.

"I just get so excited to get him in the bath, I always forget..." Finn admits sheepishly. Poe brings the towel in and Finn gives him a kiss. "Thanks."

"How's my little man?" Poe asks, wrapping his arms around Finn.

"Soapy, for one." Finn works shampoo into Pax's curls.

"And cute, for another." Poe smiles down at Pax, making faces until Pax laughs and smacks the water with his fists, splashing Finn and soaking his shirt.

"Hey!" Finn laughs, and flicks a tiny bit of water back at Pax with one finger. "Watch it, buddy!"

"Are you gonna finish washing our kid, or is it just playtime now?" Poe asks, reaching around for the cup beside the baby tub. He gently edges around Finn so he can rinse Pax, careful to keep the suds out of his eyes. "Who's my little prince?" Poe coos.

Finn watches the two of them fondly, readying the towel for Pax. Poe is always so gentle and loving with him, and Finn swears he can feel his heart swelling in his chest every time he watches them together.

"Alright, mijo, you're all clean." Poe lifts Pax out of the tub, and Finn wraps him up in the towel, hugging him close. Poe tugs the hood over his wet curls, rubbing with his fingers to dry them a bit as Pax laughs.

"Stars, I'll never get over how cute that laugh is," Finn groans.

"Yeah, he's something alright." Poe grins widely. Finn carries Pax out to the bedroom, and Poe grabs the baby lotion from the table. "You wanna take care of this, or do you have to run to training?"

"I've got the afternoon off." Finn smiles and climbs onto the bed, laying Pax out on his back so he can dry off each of his limbs. "We can do it together. I know how much you love tickling him."

"Because that  _ laugh _ ," Poe swoons.

"Can't blame you." Finn beams at Poe, and leans forward to steal a kiss from him. "I love you so much," he murmurs. "I'm glad you're here. There's no one else I'd want to help raise Pax with me."

"I love you too," Poe says, reaching up to stroke Finn's cheek with his thumb.

===

It's been a stressful week on base. Amidst discussions of plans for what move to make next against the First Order, the training schedules have been increased and intensified. Poe comes home from flight drills exhausted and heavy-limbed around midday, at which point Finn passes Pax off to him and goes to train. Likewise, Finn often slumps into the mess hall halfway through dinner, shovels a hasty meal into his mouth, and beats it back to their room for a shower before bed.

On this evening, Poe slips into the room with Pax to find Finn just stepping out of the 'fresher after his shower, clad in the boxers he sleeps in. Finn smiles, exhausted but happy.

"Hey, there's my favorite guys." Finn wraps Poe up in his arms, Pax between them, and kisses each of their foreheads.

"You should get into bed, honey," Poe murmurs. "You look dead on your feet..."

"Yeah," Finn sighs. "Put Pax down for me?"

Poe stifles a yawn and nods, waving Finn towards their bed. As Finn slides between the sheets, Poe settles Pax down into his crib. Finn nestles down, his eyes falling shut instantly. He can hear Poe murmuring sweet and low to Pax. He's asleep before he even feels Poe join him.

Some undetermined time later, Finn is pulled out of a deep, dreamless sleep by Pax's crying. He groans softly and pushes himself half-upright, looking over at Poe. He's absolutely passed out, and Finn doesn't have the heart to wake him up. Poe has been getting up earlier and earlier, and Finn gets to have the mornings to himself with Pax... Finn's so  _ tired _ ... But Pax needs him.

With a sigh, Finn heaves himself out of bed and goes to comfort Pax. He lifts him out of the crib and cradles him against his chest, skin to skin, bouncing him softly and patting his back.

"Shhh, shh shh," Finn whispers. "It's okay, love, everything's okay..."

He's not sure what's wrong. Pax has been eating less during the night nowadays, but the first thing Finn can think of is hunger. He checks Pax's diaper, but that isn't the culprit. It must be hunger. Pax keeps wailing against his shoulder, and Finn fears Poe will be woken up, so he redoubles his efforts to soothe him.

"Sh sh shhh, Pax, sweetheart, calm down," Finn murmurs calmingly. He rubs Pax's back rhythmically, rocking and swaying, pulling out all the tricks. "What's the matter, little one? Are you hungry? Is that it?"

Finn holds Pax against his chest as he takes one of their pre-prepared bottles out of the chiller and sticks it in the warmer. He keeps bouncing Pax gently, murmuring nonsense to him, trying to quiet him down. Luckily, it seems to soothe him somewhat, and the warmer works quickly. It's only a few minutes before Finn can take the bottle and sit down with a quieter-but-still-fussy Pax.

"Here you go, baby," Finn whispers, easing back into his side of the bed, propped up on the headboard. He offers Pax the bottle, which Pax sucks at hungrily. "There..." Finn sighs, his tiredness crashing back into him now that the crisis is averted.

Finn watches Pax eat, watching his tiny eyes droop as he fills his belly. Finn strokes his fingertips along that soft little belly, lovesick. Pax's weight is warm and comforting against him, and Finn struggles to keep his eyes open until Pax is done with the bottle.

"Alright," Finn breathes, setting the bottle aside and grabbing the burping cloth from where they left it on the bedside table. He nestles Pax against his shoulder and pats his back softly, blinking sleepily. "Gonna put you back to bed soon, okay?" he murmurs. But once Pax is burped, Finn simply holds him in his arms again, marveling down at him with tired eyes.

Pax lets out a huge yawn, somehow nestling further into Finn's arms, and Finn smiles softly. He lets Pax wrap his fist around his finger, warm and secure, and gazes down at him. He wishes that he knew any songs he could sing to Pax, like Poe does. But Pax doesn't seem to have any trouble falling asleep. And it's just so peaceful, so sweet, that Finn...

Finn's eyes open to the morning light, and as soon as he remembers where he is, he panics for a brief moment. But he looks down to see Pax nestled securely against him still, and Poe propped up on an elbow in bed beside them, watching with a soft smile.

"Kriff, I fell asleep," Finn breathes.

"It's okay," Poe murmurs. "It happens."

"It's dangerous," Finn argues quietly. "I should've put him back to bed, I... I could've hurt him."

"Hey, hey," Poe says softly, sitting up in bed. "It's okay. You're fine." Poe grins. "How's your neck, though? Sleeping propped up against the headboard like that?"

"Ugh," Finn mumbles. "Not great, but I'll be okay." He sighs. "Stars, I was just so tired..."

"I know," Poe murmurs apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't wake up. I guess the lack of sleep just kind of caught up with me, and..." He trails off with a shrug. "Really, I'm sorry. I shouldn't've left him all to you with how tired you were last night..."

"But you're the one who gets up early," Finn points out. "Which... How early were you up this morning?"

"I've been up about an hour," Poe says with a smile. "Just watching you two."

"What about drills?"

"I'm taking the morning off." Poe bites his lip. "We could all use the rest. We're no good to the Resistance if we're run ragged. So... I get to spend the morning with my two favorite people instead." He smiles softly.

Finn shifts carefully, laying Pax on his back between the two of them and snuggling down into a more comfortable position on his side, facing them. "Do you... mind if I get a bit more shut-eye, then?"

"Not at all," Poe whispers. He leans over Pax to kiss Finn's temple. "You get all the sleep you need. I'll take care of Pax."

"He should be up soon for his morning bottle," Finn murmurs, already starting to fall asleep again.

"I'll handle it, I promise," Poe laughs quietly. "Just sleep."

===

The first thing Finn hears when he wakes up is Poe moving about, letting out that sigh he does when he's thinking too hard about something. Finn makes a sleepy noise and stirs, lifting his head to find Poe pacing around the room. He has Pax in his arms, nestled close as the baby sleeps, lulled by Poe's steps.

"Hey," Finn mumbles sleepily.

"How'd you sleep?" Poe whispers.

"Just fine." Finn frowns a bit. "Why are you pacing around? Come here."

Poe sits on the edge of the bed and sighs again, and Finn sits up, curling around him and reaching to stroke Pax's arm with a finger.

"What's the matter?" Finn asks, leaning warmly against Poe.

"Just thinking about... calling my dad."

"Yeah?" Finn settles his chin against Poe's shoulder, watching Pax sleep. "And that's... causing you stress?"

"Well... yeah," Poe admits lamely. "I mean, it's high time I tell him he has a grandson..."

"I'm honestly surprised you haven't made the call yet," Finn muses, and Poe sighs yet again.

"Yeah, I... I've been putting it off."

"Why are you stressing over it?" Finn asks gently. "He's going to love Pax..."

"I know, but he...  _ He _ was in the position of having to ship his son off when the going got tough. I can't imagine what he's going to say about me now sticking myself into that can of worms..."

"Maybe... how proud he is of you for saving Pax's life?"

" _ You _ saved Pax's life," Poe reminds him.

"But you're  _ continuing _ to do that. You're giving him a home, and a family..."

"Along with you."

Finn laughs. "Yeah, along with me. That's what's so great." He kisses Poe's cheek. "Honey, he's not going to be mad at you." Finn pauses. "Well... Maybe a little mad that you haven't called until now. But once we show him Pax, he'll forget all about that! Babies seem to have that effect on people."

Poe sighs again, but it's softer, more resigned. "You're right." He leans a bit heavily against Finn.

"I'm gonna get dressed," Finn says quietly. "And then we're going to go down to the holoroom and call your dad."

"Alright," Poe murmurs, gazing at Pax.

Finn kisses Poe's cheek and climbs out of bed. He pulls on something other than just his boxers, keeping half an eye on Poe as he murmurs quietly to Pax.

"You sweet little thing," Poe mumbles, touching Pax's tiny hand. "You don't deserve to have to deal with all this war and violence everywhere... You've never done a bad thing in your life."

Finn steps over and strokes his hand through Poe's curls, pushing them back from his forehead. "Bet your parents thought the same thing about you. And yet..."

"And yet here I am," Poe sighs with a soft smile. "No matter all the shit that happens in the galaxy... There's still a reason to keep going."

Finn leans down and kisses Poe's forehead. "Let's go call your dad."

===

The holoroom is half-full when they arrive, but there's a booth open for their use. Finn sits in front of the receiver with Poe by his side, and Pax held close against his chest by the wrap. He's still sleeping through this midmorning nap, though Finn is sure he's going to wake up and be hungry before long.

Poe dials his dad, hoping he's available and not out in the fields. It should be late afternoon by Kes's time, Finn calculates, so their odds are good of reaching him. Before long, the line connects.

"Poe!" Kes nearly shouts. "It's about damn time you called. Hey there, Finn," he adds, more warmly.

"Sorry, dad," Poe says sheepishly. "Things have been..."

"You don't have to tell  _ me _ , son," Kes dismisses, waving his hand. "Wartime, right? Things are tough."

Poe shifts slightly. "Uh, yeah."

"So what's the occasion? Finally remembered your old man?" Kes teases dryly.

"Finally found the time to call, at least," Finn says with a shrug.

"Well, you both look well, at least." Kes stares at Finn puzzlingly for a second. "New shirt?" he asks, confused.

Finn looks down and realizes the baby wrap might not be coming across as such on Kes's end of the line. Either that, or it's so farfetched that Kes isn't considering it as an option.

"Dad, we've..." Poe chuckles. "There's a reason we called."

"You two finally getting hitched?" Finn can hear it's joke, but there's an edge of hope to Kes's voice.

"Not yet," Poe sighs in exasperation.

"We've talked about it," Finn amends. "There's just..." He pulls a face. "You know how it is. There's never the time."

"You could do it quick," Kes says with a shrug.

"He deserves more than that," Poe says quietly, turning a soft look on Finn.

"You're sweet," Finn murmurs with a half-smile. He reaches down and takes Poe's hand, giving it a squeeze, and turns back to Kes. "No, ah... There's something else."

"Well, you'd better tell me." Kes settles back into his chair.

"We have a..." Poe swallows, glancing down at Finn's chest.

"We have a son," Finn finishes quietly.

Kes stares at them for a long moment, and if it weren't for his blinking, Finn would have sworn the connection had frozen. After a few seconds, he sits forward in his chair, his hands coming up to his mouth. He looks like he's thinking hard.

"Dad, please say something," Poe whispers.

"Where did you get a  _ son _ ?" Kes asks incredulously, but not unkindly. "It's not as if the two of you could just...  _ accidentally _ wind up with a child. I assume," he adds.

"No," Finn says with a small laugh. "But, uh... It  _ was _ kind of an accident."

"Finn found him," Poe explains. "On a mission. If he would've left him, he would've died... He had no family, and... Dad, we've... He's a  _ baby _ ."

" _ You _ ... have a  _ baby _ ," Kes confirms.

"Poe's really good with him, actually," Finn says with a warm smile.

"Ay, mi..." Kes mutters and runs a hand over his face. Suddenly, he breaks into a smile, along with a disbelieving laugh. "So I have a grandson?"

"Yeah," Poe says softly. "Is that... okay?"

"Well, it's not as if I have a say in it," Kes chuckles. "I mean, having a kid in wartime is a terrible decision, but... Well." He grins at Poe and shrugs. "You turned out alright."

"Sure did," Finn says and kisses Poe's cheek. He turns back to Kes. "...Would you like to see him?"

Kes takes a moment, and the lines of his face soften into a smile. "Absolutely," he breathes.

Finn reaches down and pulls the wrap aside carefully. He wraps a hand under Pax's backside and hefts him up a bit, feeling him stir against his chest. He glances up at Kes's image and sees him completely awed and lovestruck. Finn smiles as he carefully pulls Pax from the wrap.

"Dad... This is Pax," Poe introduces as Pax lets out a huge yawn and nestles into Finn's arms.

"He's beautiful," Kes murmurs, leaning forward like he wishes he could reach out and hold him.

"He is," Finn agrees. "He loves being tickled and splashing in the bath."

"Say hi to your grandpa, Pax," Poe coos, fluffing Pax's hair to make him laugh.

"Force, is there any sound like baby laughter?" Kes nearly swoons.

Finn chuckles. "Yeah, he's a little heartbreaker... And getting so big," he adds, shifting him in his lap. Pax kicks happily, watching the holo as he mouths at his own hand.

"So when are you bringing him home to see me?" Kes asks with a wide grin.

"As soon as possible," Poe promises. "I don't know when that'll be... But I promise, the next time we have leave, we'll be there."

"And I expect you to call more often," Kes says with a mostly-serious glare. "If you can't visit, you can at least check in every once in a while."

"I'll make sure we do," Finn vows with a grin. "At the very least,  _ I _ will, and Pax."

"And..." Kes hesitates before continuing. "I know you don't want to think about this, but if you ever decide..."

"We know," Poe says with a soft, grateful smile.

"I'd take him in a heartbeat, kid," Kes swears. "Just like your grandfather did for you."

"Thank you," Finn says, heartfelt. "It wasn't an easy decision to keep him, but it felt right... And we figured we could count on you."

"Always," Kes promises. "But I should let you boys go. It's nearly suppertime here."

"We'll call again soon," Finn says, and lets his finger be wrapped up in one of Pax's hands. "Say bye to grandpa," he murmurs, waving Pax's tiny fist.

"Bye, dad," Poe says quietly with a smile. "Love you."

"Love you too, kid. Love all three of you. Stay safe."

"Will do." Poe cuts the line and turns to Finn with a relieved smile. "So... That went pretty well."

Finn grins. "I told you. Pax is a little charmer. No one can resist."

"You're so right," Poe sighs. He leans down to kiss Pax's head. "I'm just glad that dad did offer to take him..."

"Was there really any doubt in your mind?" Finn murmurs. "Poe, he loves you more than anything in the galaxy. He'd want you to get to experience raising a kid, just like he did."

"You're right," Poe says again. He lets out a small laugh. "How are you always right?"

Finn shrugs with a grin. "I guess growing up without a bunch of weird social cues kind of... sorted out all the chaff. Things usually seem pretty clear to me with this sorta stuff."

"Well, good thing I'm keeping you around, then." Poe smiles and kisses Finn softly.

"You are?" Finn asks, joking.

"I mean... If you're amenable to it." Poe grins.

"What do you think, Pax?" Finn coos. "Should we stick with Papa?" Pax squeals and squirms happily, and Poe laughs. "I think that's a pretty strong affirmative."

"Good. Because..." Poe grins sheepishly. "Well, I... I really would like to marry you. Y'know, someday."

Finn's smile goes soft. "I know you would. I'd really like to marry you too."

"...So it's settled then?" Poe asks hesitantly.

"Yeah, I... I guess it is." Finn laughs as Poe leans in to kiss him. "I guess it is."

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr @ queersatz-haderach


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